Kernel use-after-free via unlocked futex counter allocation
Published Sep 4, 2026 · Updated Sep 4, 2026
A race condition in the Linux kernel 6.17 futex subsystem allows local users to trigger a use-after-free through nested vfork calls. During concurrent PR_FUTEX_HASH_SET_SLOTS calls, futex_hash_allocate() overwrites an unlocked mm->futex.phash.ref allocation, losing the first counter and freeing a referenced private hash. A nested vfork child must be killed with SIGKILL so its parent and grandchild run in one mm; futex_q_lock() then writes to freed kernel memory.
Summary
What happened
A race condition in the Linux kernel 6.17 futex subsystem allows local users to trigger a use-after-free through nested vfork calls. During concurrent PR_FUTEX_HASH_SET_SLOTS calls, futex_hash_allocate() overwrites an unlocked mm->futex.phash.ref allocation, losing the first counter and freeing a referenced private hash. A nested vfork child must be killed with SIGKILL so its parent and grandchild run in one mm; futex_q_lock() then writes to freed kernel memory.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-80775
- Published
- Sep 4, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 4, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-362, CWE-416
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 4, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 4, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=6.17
- Affected versionversion=d9b05321e21e4b218de4ce8a590bf375f58b6346 <86d12b34bafc9a4c271a9edefea88855a934d6e5
- Affected versionversion=d9b05321e21e4b218de4ce8a590bf375f58b6346 <bde0238083647381d4747355c5a19115a3422b96
- Affected versionversion=d9b05321e21e4b218de4ce8a590bf375f58b6346 <c4b4972d8edcdf50b6518f55119e129d2f668a10
- Affected versionversion=d9b05321e21e4b218de4ce8a590bf375f58b6346 <ff252ed45c8263525f2f54d81c5fa6d547fba344
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
No CVSS assessment is available in this record.
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo